We'll do our usual season-ending things in the coming days and weeks but we do want to note to Tracee Hamilton that Captain A.O.was complaining of fatigue and often skips the optional skates because of the intensity in which he plays with whenever he's on the ice whether it is a game or a practice. The team has often held him back for his own good. As for some of the other players who didn't get the job done in the first round, "truth day" will give us more insight as to what went wrong in Round I. But we want to say right now that San Jose East this is not. While there are reasons to worry going forward, there are also reasons to be optimistic and we'll get into those reasons why later.

Finally, since the NHL isn't taking a day off before starting the second round; Penguin Scum in six, Boston in six, Detroit in six, and Chicago in seven.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Game 7 Caps vs. Canadiens 4-28-2010 Post-Mortem

Well, at least we still have their baseball team...

We can't say were all that surprised right now. We don't know what it is but there's just something about this franchise. If it isn't a hose job or a freak injury or a bad bounce or who knows what else, then this franchise just can't seem to get out of its own way. How else do you explain the blown playoff leads and the 2-7 record in Game 7, 2-6 at home? We knew the shoe was eventually going to drop on us, it always does. But congratulations folks, we're not only the first #1 seed to blow a 3-1 lead to a #8 seed but we gave Jacques Martin his first win ever in a Game 7.

The seed for the loss tonight was first planted back in late January-early February when the Caps went on that magical 14 game winning streak. Simply put, this team peaked way too soon folks. Remember all those lists of NHL teams with long winning streaks during the regular season? The most recent team to win the Cup was the Islanders from back in the 1980's. That wasn't a good sign for us as we racked up the wins that pulled us away in the Eastern Conference and President's Trophy race. That seed was then given a good fertilizing when it was Montreal who broke the 14 game winning streak. Interesting isn't how the team who put an end to our epic winning streak put an end to our season? Coincidence? We think not.

While the series was formally lost tonight, it was really lost last Friday when the Caps blew Game 5. The Caps, as usual in this series, fell behind 2-0 before starting to score. Despite cutting the deficit in half early in the second period, it was with about 5-6 minutes left that the Caps seemed to pull up. They realized that in order to win Game 5, they'd likely have to play Overtime for the fourth straight game at home and seventh time in the last ten home contests going back into the regular season. So the Caps figured, "hey, we've got two more chances, lets save it." Instead they gave Montreal life and the confidence that they could pull off the upset that they did.

And here's the thing about tonight that mystifies us. Of the Game 7's the Caps have played, this was by far their best performance. Even better than the 2 wins. That's not say that there were no mistakes made tonight. Mike "BEAM ME UP" Green takes a stupid penalty in the first period that leads to Montreal's first goal after the Caps had been dominating the first period. Green then decided to play the man instead of the puck late in the third and the Caps end up down 2-0 for the fourth time in the series as a result. The Caps for the most part stopped hitting after the first period too and we don't know why.

Silly us too thinking that because the Caps are now considered a "marquee team" that they would be given a little assistance onto the Second Round. Not once in this series did the Caps have to deal with either Bill McCreary or Paul Devorski. But we're glad to see that two years since Game 7 against the Flyers that the league is trying to do something about goaltender interference.

But before we wrap this up let's give credit to Jaroslav Halak and the Montreal Canadiens. Halak played another great game tonight and the team in front of him blocked almost as many shots, 41, as the Caps got on goal, 42. Montreal had blocked 26 shots heading into the third period. You do the math folks. However, we won't be the least bit surprised if the Penguin Scum shred him for 6 goals on 10 shots on Friday night. That's just how it is for the Washington Capitals.

Finally we know this is mostly wishful thinking, but we hope we don't have to hear from players, coaches, General Managers, and Owners about how disappointed they are. About how upset that they are that "the season ended way too soon." About how "we haven't achieved our goals and won't rest until we do." About how "we can't wait for next season." We've heard that two years in a row now and probably will hear it for a third. But until something is actually done about it, it is just empty talk.

Tonight the Caps once again host Game 7 of a playoff series. This will be the 9th Game 7 in team history and the Caps have hosted all but 1 of them. However, the Caps have only won 2 of the previous 8 single elimination playoff games in franchise history with the two wins coming on home ice.

Well folks for the Caps to avoid elimination yet again there are a few things that they need to do; first of all, whoever Bruce Boudreau goes with in goal tonight is going to have to come out on top of their game from the start. The Caps can't fall behind even 1-0 lettalone 2-0 less than 10 minutes into the game like they have in Games 2, 5, and 6. As a matter of fact with Halak stopping just about everything right now, Semyon "The Saviour" Varlamov or Jose "Alvin, Simon," Theodore are probably going to have to pitch a shutout for the Caps tonight. Secondly, the Caps need to put the glove on Mike Cammelleri. With the exception of Game 4, when he's scored a goal, the Canadiens have won. So stop him from scoring goals and the Caps can win. The Caps also need to get back to pounding the Canadiens all over the ice. They did that in Games 1-4 and built a 3-1 lead but stopped doing that in Games 5 and 6 and are 0-2. Get the puck in deep and get the forecheckers into the corners quickly and Montreal will turn the puck over. When it comes to Halak however, the Caps need to go for quality over quantity. Shots from beyond the faceoff circles especially need screens and the guys who are setting screens need to fight for the rebounds that come out. And when the puck isn't shot from distance, the Caps need to crash the crease and work the puck to the front of the net. Finally, let's admit something here, the Caps are one of the NHL's marquee teams. Aside from some of the worst acting you've ever seen, there's a reason why Montreal was finally whistled an unheard of three times in Game 6 for diving after flopping around all series. When the Caps are handed Power Plays tonight, they MUST take advantage of them. This doesn't necessarily mean that the Caps have to score right away and on every Power Play chance, but they must use the Power Play to get their offense going. The NHL needs the Caps in the second round and Hades, the third round to face the Penguin Scum because the NBC's contract is up next year. Will this all come to pass, we have our doubts because we've been down this road before and there's just something about this franchise.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 1
Canadiens 3
Winner by Gomez(3-3 in the playoffs, 50-40 on the season with two perfect games)

We posted the shot chart above to drive home our point from last night about the Caps taking too many shots from distance. Only 14 of the 54 shots by our count came from in close and take a look at Joe Scorvo's shots. He had a team high 10 shots on goal which included three from the neutral zone. Again, we don't want to take anything away from Halak because he had an outstanding game, but the Caps have gotten away from the playoff style of hockey that they played early on in the series which is why we're now tied back up and heading into a Game 7. Hopefully if the Caps back to crashing the net and pounding the Canadiens all over the ice, especially on the forecheck, the Caps can win Game 7. But if they settle from shots from outside and don't do the dirty work that we've seen them do before, our spring will suddenly become a lot freer.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Game 6 Caps @ Canadiens 4-26-2010 Post-Mortem

Not where anybody wanted to be... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

Eric Fehr got a goal late. It was too little too late for this game but it broke up the shutout because as bad as it is to be going into a Game 7 under these circumstances, it would be 100 times worse if Jaroslav Halak had pitched a 54 save shutout at us tonight.

Montreal has been flopping like fish out of water all series long trying to draw penalties. Thankfully tonight Tim Peel and Dan O'Rourke were finally calling them out on it and whistled them three times for diving.

THE BAD:

With all due respect to Halak who played an amazing game tonight, Caps added to their own frustration by pumping more and more shots at Halak without screens, without players in front ready to pounce on rebounds, and from distance. Yes Halak robbed them stone cold on a number of occasions tonight but when the Caps did get players in front, the shots went wide. When the Caps did get rebounds, hardly anybody was fighting for them. Instead of taking the puck to the net and crashing the crease, the Caps were content to shoot from distance against a goaltender that was stopping everything. It shouldn't be any wonder that he posted some of the numbers that he did tonight.

If you're wondering why Tomas Fleischmann isn't scoring look at his botched chance. He had to make an extra move with the puck before shooting at a wide open net.

The Power Play is more than a problem, it is an albatross around our necks right now. 0 for 6 tonight and the coup de gras is the big fat 0 shots on goal during a 1:15 5 on 3 in the first period. The Caps badly needed a goal there to get back into the game but couldn't even muster a shot. 18 shots on goal otherwise but none of them mattered because none of them got into the net.

In addition to 54 shots on goal, 23 of them were blocked, and 17 missed everything. That's 94 shot attempts tonight and only one goal.

So you're thinking what we're thinking, "He can't do this two games in a row right?" Well, looking at his game log, yes he can because he has. After facing the magic number of 45 shots, where he's undefeated, Halak is 4-2 in his next outing including the 6-5 overtime loss in Game 2 of this series. Halak made 45+ saves in three consecutive games before yielding the one loss in the regular season. He then made 45+ saves twice in a row before beating the Penguin Scum with just 18 saves on 21 shots. So yes folks, be afraid. Be very afraid about Wednesday night because this version of the Caps has not come out with a sense of purpose in any of their previous three Game 7's.

Tonight the Caps take their second crack at closing out their series with the Montreal Canadiens when they head back to Montreal for Game 6. This is the ninth time in franchise history that the Caps have had the chance to win a series in 6 games and the Caps have accomplished the task 5 times in their previous 8 opportunities. All-time the Caps are 10-9 in Game 6 with a 7-6 record on the road.

For some reason here recently the Caps seem to play better on the road in the playoffs than at home. Maybe it is because the Phone Booth Crowd gets so wound up that the players get lost in it themselves. Of course it would help if our opponents weren't allowed to send six skaters and a goaltender onto the ice for an extended period of time (Seriously, when is the NHL going to do something about its officiating crews? The guys who work the playoffs are supposed to be the best of the bunch.) but that's too much to ask. The Caps got caught a little flat footed on Friday night and we figure that won't happen again tonight because while the Caps didn't want to go back to Montreal, they certainly do want to go to a Game 7. It would also help the Caps to score first tonight, Montreal really packed things in on Friday night after going up 2-0 and Halak plays much better with a lead than he does with a tie or trailing in the game. Finally, while it would be nice to get the Power Play going tonight, we've already won 3 games in this series without it being much of a factor, we can probably get by without it being a factor tonight but the lineup changes from Bruce Boudreau will be crucial as typically new players in the Playoffs tend to inject more life into the lineup.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 4
Canadiens 2
Winner by Semin(3-2 in the playoffs, 50-39 on the season with two perfect games)

First of all, we hope that Bruce Boudreau goes against his own grain and benches Tomas Fleischmann as he really should. Fleischmann, like Alexander "Slappy" Semin, should be having a much better series than he is against a soft Montreal team. But unlike Slappy, Fleischmann isn't showing any signs of life and needs to sit. However, we wouldn't be surprised if Eric Fehr gets yanked instead. We know Fehr would have been demoted to South Carolina by now if he had been playing like Fleischmann has.

Finally, we finally found our oringinal post from where we first linked to an article from IllegalCurve.com about teams getting too much rest after the first round. Had the Caps won on Friday night, the would have had about six-seven days off before the start of the Round II on April 30th-May 1st. Philly will have at least the magic number of seven days off, maybe eight if we don't start until Saturday night regardless. However, because the Caps have to play tomorrow, the numbers now work in our favor. We understand what Bruce is talking about in having short series along the way but you have a short series in the second, third, or fourth rounds too; it doesn't have to be in the first round. And don't take this to mean that we want this series to go seven games, we want it to end tomorrow night. We just don't think it is such a bad thing that we have to go six games because Boston and Vancouver had short first round series last year and both crashed out in the second.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Game 5 Caps vs. Canadiens 4-23-2010 Post-Mortem

After giving up two early goals, Semyon "The Saviour" Varlamov recovered with a solid performance to keep the game from getting further out of hand.

For the first time this season, the Caps Penalty Killers shutdown the Montreal Power Play. The Caps were 6 for 6 tonight.

THE BAD:

No way to sugar coat it, the Caps top line was on the ice for all three goals scored tonight. If we had won 3-0 or 2-1, that wouldn't be a problem, but it is a problem when we lose 2-1.

We're not sure how it happened, but taking a Too Many Men on the Ice penalty with just over a minute to go is not a good way to finish off a game.

THE UGLY:

The Caps Power Play failed big-time tonight. 0 for 5 with 11 shots on goal. We give Jaroslav Halak credit for making a big save on Alexander "Slappy" Semin in the third period. But there was precious little fighting for rebounds on the Power Play tonight which is a cause for concern going forward.

As usual with a loss, we didn't bother listening to the Post-Game Show on the radio because we didn't want to hear what was being said about Mike "BEAM ME UP" Green. We don't think Green's defending has been all that bad, it has been his puck handling as he seems to be once again succumbing to the pressure of the playoffs. Some of it isn't necessarily his fault as he had some bad bounces but as long as he's not blowing defensive assignments, we can live with his play. Other however are different story...

Well folks, we told you initially we just had a feeling that this would go a little longer than everybody thought. We aren't too upset about this loss tonight though. We remember reading last year that teams who wrap up their first round series in 4 or 5 games have a dismal record in the second round because the rest turns into rust with the long layoff. The Caps can still close out this series on Monday night in six games and the earliest they would have to face Philadelphia is Thursday but much more likely on Friday. So we're not too concerned about getting enough rest before facing the Flyers as long as the series ends on Monday night. But we are concerned that talk of yet another blown 3-1 lead is going to start before there is a Game 7. That is talk we don't need over the next two off days.

Tonight, the Caps look to close out their series with the Montreal Canadiens and confirm a date in the second round with the Philadelphia Flyers. Game 5 has not been kind to the Capitals throughout the years. The Caps are 8-18 in the pivotal game and 5-11 on home ice. With a 3-1 lead and a chance to put an end to the series, the Caps are 2-6.

This current incarnation of the Capitals has a chance for the first time to eliminate a team before Game 7 rolls around. And with we're brutally honest with ourselves, our performance in the three Game 7's for this bunch have been a little on the flat side. But looking at the end other side of the coin here, Montreal has to be at their wit's end. They've thrown everything that they can at the Caps and yet are still down 3-1. We don't expect the Canadiens to lay down and die tonight (though it would be nice) because if they were going to, they would have done so in Game 4. But should the Caps get rolling tonight and take a lead, it would be very advisable for the Caps to keep their heads up because Montreal could very well go the cheap-shot route knowing that there's nothing left for them to lose because in the last three games of this series they've lost their cool and have taken penalties that have put them further behind. So is there anything to make us think that they won't do the same thing tonight facing elimination? The biggest thing for the Caps tonight though is to demonstrate a killer instinct. Teams that are on the brink find a way to stave off elimination and it is the mark of a good team to overcome that and put them away. The Caps should know all about staving off elimination as they've done it seven times over the past three years. However, just like Game 4, we think it is going to come down to the Caps being just too good for Montreal to get past.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 4
Canadiens 3
Winner by Backstrom(3-1 in the playoffs, 50-38 for the season with two perfect games)

We'll give credit here where credit is due, the Canadiens played much better last night than we thought they would and they played well enough to win the game. However, even though last night's loss has to be rather devastating, we're no longer hearing any spin out of them about "being where they want to be," we don't expect them to roll over and die tomorrow night.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Game 4 Caps @ Canadiens 4-21-2010 Post-Mortem

Just too darn good... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

Jason Chimera has been a thorn in the side of the Canadiens all series long and tonight he comes up with the Game-Winning-Goal.

Mike Knuble with the back-breaking shorthanded knoal tonight, the second one for the Caps in as many games. He added an empty-netter to help seal the deal late in the game for his second goal of the playoffs. It's good to get him going as the second round and a probable date with the Flyers loom.

The Power Play finally busted their slump, while Captain A.O.'s goal was off the rush and not off any set work, we'll take it and run. However, after getting setup in the offensive zone, the Power Play has to find a way to get more pucks to the net.

And speaking of Captain A.O., he and Nicklas Backstrom both rang up three points tonight. It's becoming clear that these two alone are more than Montreal can handle.

Tell us again why faceoff are so important? The Caps won 36 faceoffs and lost 29 but were outshot 39-38. Something doesn't add up.

Montreal scored yet another Power Play goal on us tonight, going 1 for 4. So far it doesn't look like our penalty killing is going to cost us in this series. But it is not over yet.

And while Alexander "Slappy" Semin lucked his way into an assist tonight for his first playoff point this year, we still don't think he's playing very well.

THE UGLY:

While the Caps had more Power Plays than Montreal, the officiating tonight was just awful. First Joe Scorvo takes a blind-side hit from Maxim Lapierre that none of them saw despite the NHL's newest "crackdown." Then Carey Price whacks Backstrom while Price was standing on the Montreal Bench after the last empty-net goal. We're pretty certain that NHL Suggestion Book prohibits such actions but we doubt that either Lapierre or Price will face any kind of supplementary discipline nor any further mention of their actions.

Well folks, we're almost there. We're one game away from getting about a week off before the second round begins and we can rest some players. While tonight's game was not the best effort the Caps can muster, we happen to think that our problem is not defense, but focus. There's no reason why other than losing focus that Montreal scored a third goal tonight. The Caps just stopped playing but Dominic Moore didn't. That was the biggest example of focus loss but there were other individual moments as well. But a win is a win and the Caps are rolling along and now come home looking to wrap this series up quickly.

Tonight, the Caps, with a 2-1 lead, look to take total control of their first round series with the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4. The Caps are 14-15 All-Time in Game 4 with a 7-8 record on the road and an 8-6 record with a 2-1 lead in the series.

Well folks, we don't want to go too far in this but it is time for the Caps to get serious and go about putting away the Canadiens tonight. Yeah, yeah we know that they need two more wins, not one, to close out this series but we're not buying this "calm, cool, and collected" act from Montreal. They clearly blew a gasket on Monday night after the Caps got out to a 4-0 lead in the second period and they'll do it again if the Caps get out to any lead tonight. There's no reason why Semyon "The Saviour" Varlamov shouldn't get the start tonight and instead of absorbing the Montreal pressure for the first period, the Caps should look to grab an early lead tonight. Carey Price is likely to be in net and he has shown that he can't handle the pressure of a playoff game in Montreal. If the Caps can get out to an early lead tonight, the crowd will do a 180 turn on really come down hard on the home team making their meltdown all the more complete.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 6
Canadiens 2
Winner by Backstrom(2-1 in the playoffs, 49-38 for the year with two perfect games)

Not counting the 3 second Power Play, the Caps were 0 for 6 on the Power Play tonight. Lots of nifty passing but only 5 shots on goal.

The Montreal fans classy as ever as the Frogs boo the Star Spangled Banner once again.

Well folks, the tide in this series has certainly turned. Had you paid much attention to the pundits, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Caps were down 2-0 again and yet after tonight they're up 2-1. Will the same wags who complained about the Caps defense and goaltending still chirp about it after tonight? Somehow we doubt it but we also know that they won't give the Caps defense and goaltending any credit either. Just 1 goal allowed, 27 shots on goal, and 16 shots blocked. Those are pretty good numbers against anybody in the NHL Playoffs. While Matt "Omar" Bradley's goal late in the third may be seen as running up the score, it helped to bring Carey Price down a notch after he had made 14 saves in the third period up until that point. The Caps are likely to face him instead of Jaroslav Halak in Game 4 on Wednesday night and they will need to beat him more than 2 times on 23 shots. The Caps haven't won this series yet, but they are clearly in control right now.

You gotta love the playoffs with all the extra head games going on. Captain A.O.'s comments about Jaroslav Halak does nothing else but shift the focus away from the Caps goaltending situation for a little bit. Who Bruce Boudreau goes with in goal tonight will scrutinized from here till the cows come home no matter what the outcome is but at the other end, Halak has allowed 8 goals on 84 shots in the two games so far Respectable numbers but after allowing 6 goals on 37 shots on Saturday night; there has to be creeping doubts about him too. But for the Caps, we think Boudreau is going to go with Semyon "The Saviour" Varlamov tonight in part to protect Jose "Alvin, Simon," Theodore from the crowd in Montreal. The Saviour just hasn't been the same since his knee injury in December so the Caps are likely going to have to go all-offense, all the time in order to win the rest of this series. And if the Caps can continue to get in Halak's face physically and mentally as they did on Saturday night, they should be able to outgun Montreal. And if the Power Play gets going, this series will be lights out.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 5
Canadiens 3
Winner by Captain A.O.(1-1 in the playoffs, 48-38 for the year with two perfect games)

So Montreal is feeling ok heading home after blowing a three goal lead and a one goal lead late in the game? Why do we have a hard time believing that? Furthermore, why is it that if Captain A.O. isn't scoring goals the pundits believe he isn't playing?

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Game 2 Caps vs. Canadiens 4-17-2010 Post-Mortem

Now it's on... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

The Caps may have to call up another defensemen for Games 3 and 4 in Montreal because we have a hard time believing that Canadian Customs is going to allow John Carlson into their country tomorrow. The Rookie notched his first playoff point and scored the game tying goal late in the third period. We have to think that Brian Burke should have had him in Vancouver.

Captain A.O. broke out of his slump tonight, 1 goal (assisted by Carlson), and three assists. 6 shots on goal (7 were blocked and 2 missed everything) and a monster 8 hits dished out.

Nicklas Backstrom with the game winning goal just 31 seconds into overtime to cap off the Hat Trick. His dish to Carlson wasn't too shabby either.

THE BAD:

The Power Play unit continues to struggle going 0 for 3 tonight.

We said in the series preview that taking more than two penalties was playing with fire and Montreal scored on their third Power Play chance. It almost cost us again.

Alexander "Slappy" Semin gets himself demoted to the third line. He hasn't been much of a factor in the first two games of this series.

THE UGLY:

Jeff "Sergeant" Schultz and his partner in crime Mike "BEAM ME UP" Green were on the ice for four of the five Montreal goals scored. Sarge ended up -1 and Green even because they were on the ice for so many of the Caps goals. They were the best defensive pair in the regular season and need to be the best defensive pair here in the playoffs.

Well folks, you should know how much we despise fighting in hockey but we will admit that tonight's game turned when Tom Poti of all people had enough of Scott Gomez and got into a fight with him. The Caps were down 4-3 at the time but really got going and tied the game up while Gomez was in the box. Gomez was MIA last spring for the Rangers but he's been a problem for the Caps so far and getting him off the ice for five minutes was a huge boost to the Caps. Now the sleeping giant has been awakened and Montreal has to be very, very concerned. The Caps best players torched Jaroslav Halak tonight and there is clearly momentum in the Caps locker room right now. And even if Montreal had won this game, they still would be concerned because while the Caps go their offense going - and we should note the three goals scored from in close including Captain A.O.'s where he dug in front of Halak to poke it in - the Caps can and will play better defense. But for the next two days everybody is going to wonder who is going to take the net for the Caps in Montreal but the Canadiens cannot rule out a goaltender change of their own.

We've said it before and we'll say it again, the Montreal Canadiens are not going to let Captain A.O. beat them. That doesn't mean Captain A.O. is going to go the entire series without a shot on goal or a single point, but that it isn't going to be as simple as him just turning it on and taking over the series. As for tonight's game, we think that Captain A.O. will figure out a way to be a bigger factor but if the Canadiens are going to devote three players to stopping him, maybe Bruce Boudreau should put Alexander "Slappy" Semin on the top line to take advantage of the open ice. No knock against Mike Knuble but Slappy just does better with the open ice. But the biggest thing we're looking for tonight from the Caps offensively is patience. For whatever reason in the second period and in overtime on Thursday night, the Caps got impatient in the offensive zone. Instead of retaining puck possession, the Caps would get across the blue line and fire a shot at the Montreal goal. Jaroslav Halak would make a routine save and Montreal was taking the puck back the other way. That allowed Montreal to hem us in our own zone for good stretches. The times that the Caps did show patience was when they would wait until getting to the top of the circles on the rush before taking a shot. If the Caps can posses the puck in the offensive zone more, they will continue to wear down this Montreal team.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 4
Canadiens 2
Winner by Semin(0-1 in the playoffs, 47-38 for the year with two perfect games)

First of all, while we were happy with the quantity of shots taken by the Caps last night, the quality of shots needs to improve. 14 shots from in close is great, but more are needed and more rebounds need to be put back at Halak. Halak played well, but he didn't play great, we don't remember any big, highlight reel saves that he made last night. The Caps need to realize that and not let him get inside their heads. Not mention, that they wore out a much better goaltender last April. Secondly, we're not too concerned about Captain A.O. not getting a shot on goal. Could he have played better? Yeah, but make no mistake, the Canadiens are not going to let him beat them. He could have had a goal if he had driven to the net on Nicklas Backstrom's shot that Halak barely fought off in the second period. Montreal should be a little concerned because they may not be able to play a better game than they did last night while the Caps certainly can take things up another notch here.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Game 1 Caps vs. Canadiens 4-15-2010 Post-Mortem

What??? Did you think it would be easy??? Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

Some will try to blame him but Jose "Alvin, Simon," Theodore played a good game tonight. He made 35 saves and came up with some big stops when the Caps needed them. All three goals allowed were not his fault.

The Penalty Killing unit was aggressive all night and for the most part, took the play to the Canadiens. They were credited with 8 shots on goal on their 4 advantages but the Caps did a great job of keeping them off balance.

THE BAD:

19 shots in the first period, only one goal.

After badly outshooting Montreal in the first period 19-7, the Caps were outshot the rest of the way 31-28.

THE UGLY:

That Captain A.O. didn't register a single shot on goal doesn't bother us as much his attempt to deliver a knock-out blow on Scott Gomez in the third period. Gomez simply side-stepped Captian A.O. and the defense started scrambling to recover, leading to Montreal's game tying goal. For those of you who love to yell "hit him" this is exactly why you need to pick your spots.

We thought that the game was inconsistently officiated early on but what annoys us is that during regulation time, a TV timeout cannot take place after an icing call. Yet in overtime Montreal, having already burned their timeout, was lucky enough to get a TV Timeout type timeout after icing the puck when the ice crew came onto the ice to clear ice shavings. Why that rule changes in OT is beyond us but it doesn't surprise us if it actually does. Nor would we be surprised if the refs just simply blew it. This is the NHL after all.

Coming home from work last night we heard Craig Custance of the Sporting News on WJFK. He expressed shock at Penguin Scum Head Coach Dan Bylsma saying that he didn't care about winning Game 1. Bylsma said he wanted to wear down Ottawa to win the series. Well, the Caps may not be employing the same tactics but they are certainly planting the seeds for it. Twice tonight Montreal turned the puck over in their own zone because they were afraid of an impending hit by a Caps forward. The Caps were getting the puck to the net tonight, 47 shots is proof positive of that, and they were getting players to the front of the net as well. Furthermore, the Caps defensmen were punishing the Montreal forwards. All of this will add up if the Caps keep at it and it will also pay off. The difference tonight was that the Caps Power Play was 0 for 4 while Montreal's was 1 for 4. And the one Power Play the Canadiens scored on came off of Nicklas Backstrom's selfish cross checking penalty. Backstrom had just gotten away with a brazen elbow and then followed it up with a stupid cross check. We've said it before and we'll say it again, we've got to stay out of the penalty box to win and we did not do that tonight.

Tonight the Caps start their quest for the Stanley Cup when they host the Montreal Canadiens for the first time ever in a playoff series. The Caps and Canadiens split the season series 2-2 against each other with each team picking up 5 points. The Caps are 20-11 All-time in Game 1 with a 13-5 record on home ice. Montreal comes into this game on a three game losing streak and losers of 7 of their last ten games.

Well folks, a journey begins with the first step and tonight is exactly that. If Bruce Boudreau is looking for extra motivation to get his team up for tonight, he needs to look no further than last night's scoreboard. Say what you want but at least three heavily favored teams lost last night and the biggest shock of them all was San Jose falling to the Colorado Avalanche. Many, ourselves included, thought that the Sharks would sweep that series. The Caps don't want to put any unnecessary pressure on themselves and winning tonight would prevent that and go a long way to putting to rest the ghosts from last season. A convincing win will start to break down the spirit of the Canadiens. But getting the 1-0 lead in the series tonight is all that matters.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 3
Canadiens 1
Winner by Steckel(47-37 on the regular season with two perfect games)

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to unchartered waters for the Washington Capitals Franchise. Never before in the history of this franchise have the Caps been so heavily favored entering the playoffs. Usually the Caps are at best considered a darkhorse contender. Never before in the history of the franchise have the Caps had expectations this high. Anything less than an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals is going to be considered a bitter disappointment by the fans, the players, the coaches, the front office, and the press. However, never before in the history of the franchise have the Washington Capitals had a chance this good to win the Stanley Cup. The NHL likes to use the marketing line, "is this the year?" For the Caps, it has never been better and may not be this way again for a few years.

So the first question we must confront as we look at the Caps First Round Series against the Montreal Canadiens is, how will the Caps react to the increased expectations and a prime chance to finally win it all? Because let's face it, us long suffering Caps fans know that the history isn't good, there's a reason why Khornball coined the phrase "coking dogs." The last time the Caps had a chance this good was 1986 and yet Brian Murray figured out a way to lose to the New York Rangers in six games in the second round. But that year, the Caps didn't emerge as a favorite until the Rangers had knocked off the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round. The Flyer finished with the 2nd best record in the NHL and the Caps were 3rd overall just three points behind them and 29 points ahead of the Rangers. The Caps are 33 points better than the Canadiens this year, by far the largest advantage in points the Caps have had against a playoff opponent. And turning our attention to the current crop of Washington Capitals, they haven't handled high expectations well themselves. We can understand going the distance in the First Round against Philadelphia in 2008, but the Caps lack of maturity last year caused them to need all seven games to eliminate the Rangers. Aside from the alleged curse of the Presidents' Trophy, there are legitimate reasons to be concerned heading into this series.

The matchup for the Caps in the First Round this year isn't the greatest in the world. Of the four possible opponents the Caps could have faced heading into the final days of the season, we would have preferred Boston and Philadelphia before Montreal. The Bruins can't score to save their lives and the Caps would have exploited Philadelphia's goaltending. Also consider that there really isn't any kind of rivalry between the Caps and Canadiens. Yeah, Jose "Alvin, Simon," Theodore has his own ax to grind, but there just isn't any bad blood between these two teams. That isn't to say that this is a bad matchup for the Caps. The Caps were the best team in the league in 5-on-5 situations, Montreal, ranks 22nd, the worst of any team in the playoffs. This is good news for the Caps because in the playoffs there are supposed to be fewer penalties called. While that neuters the Caps top ranked Power Play, the first time in franchise history the Caps finished the season ranked #1 on the Power Play, it also saves the Caps Penalty Killers who have to face the runner-up Power Play unit in Montreal.

It can't be said enough though, the Caps need to stay out of the penalty box to win this series. While the Caps actually had the fewest Penalty Minutes this year 920, the previous record was 951 set in 1975-1976, the Penalty Killing was a liability all year long and the Caps all too frequently took bad penalties at bad times. Our defenders have a distinct size advantage over the Montreal forwards but in order for them to take advantage of that, they need to play 5-on-5 hockey as much as possible.

Secondly, the Caps need to manage their own expectations. The Caps are not going to start a 16 game winning streak tomorrow night, though it would be extremely cool if they did. The Caps are not going to win this series in just 1, 2, or even 3 games. The Caps need to win four games before losing four games to advance. But most of all, the Caps cannot get frustrated when things don't go their way and the going gets tough. If they stick to their system they will win this series.

Yes, Montreal struggled down the stretch, falling from the 6th seed to the 8th seed by losing seven of their last ten and last three in a row. But Montreal is in the playoffs and that does mean something because there are 14 other teams that would gladly trade places with them right now. If there is one thing Montreal has on their side it is that fear is a great motivator. Everybody knows that when the Caps are on, they're practically unbeatable and when they're on and motivated, they can easily embarrass people. Say what you want about the Canadiens, they don't want to be embarrassed, that's why they struggled against teams like Carolina and Toronto but played the Caps close all season long. They know that if they don't play well, the Caps will embarrass them. Goaltenders Jaroslav Halak or even Carey Price could find an obscene level of play and just shut the Caps high-powered offense down by themselves. And if the Caps can't stay out of the box, they will give Montreal more than enough chances to keep the series close and possibly win it.

However, we feel that we should mention that the Caps have something to prove themselves. For two years now the Caps have been criticized for not being willing to pay the price to win in the playoffs. While Montreal is not Philadelphia or the Rangers, if the Caps can make quick work of Montreal, they should answer some of those doubts. Montreal has the 5th best offense of the Eastern Conference Playoff teams and 26th overall which means that the Caps much maligned defense and goaltending don't have to be the greatest in the world to win this series or win it quickly. A quick series would also answer the lingering questions about their maturity. Going down 2-0 this year is going to get all of these questions and talk of curses at a fever pitch.

So how can the Caps just simply win this series? Well again, stay out of the penalty box. Anything more than two Power Plays allowed is asking for trouble, especially at home because the Canadiens had the best Power Play on the road this season. The fewer penalties the Caps have to kill, the better. Secondly, they need to take Montreal seriously. We know Montreal is going to take us seriously, we have to match that or we'll end up behind the 8-Ball again. Stick to the system and the Caps will prevail. Use our size to our advantage. Our defensemen aren't known for being big hitters but against a smaller crop of Montreal forwards, the Caps need to punish them in front of the net. Finally, maintain the focus on the goal of winning the Cup. This is only the first round so the Cup won't be won by beating Montreal. As a matter of fact, the odds are pretty good that many of the questions surrounding this team will remain even if the Caps pull off a sweep. However, the Caps can't let the crowds in D.C. and Montreal get to them and get caught up in the moment. We're still two months away from handing out the Stanley Cup.

So what's the bottom line, we think we're too good to lose this series. While the Caps should, they don't need to bring their A Game to win this series in quick fashion. We'd like to say Caps in five but recent history has us a little concerned so we'll play it safe and say Caps in six.

It's just us, but we'd preferred that Bruce Boudreau had kept the head games regarding the starting goaltender going until warmups tomorrow night. But playing head games with the status of Nicklas Backstrom, the only player who played all 82 games this season, is fine with us. It may also serve Boudreau well to plant those seeds because Backstrom has not been able to handle top line duties in the playoffs so far in his brief career.

This is the series of teams with low expectations. At the start of the season, nobody expected Colorado to actually be in the playoffs. Many thought they would be eliminated from playoff contention by Christmas because they were going to be so young. And now with the playoffs starting, nobody expects San Jose Sharks to have much success in the playoffs. San Jose has something to prove not only to themselves but to the rest of the league with this playoff series than many expect them to sweep. Colorado faded down the stretch but held on to the 8th seed and have more points than four of the eight Eastern Conference Playoff teams. However, the playoffs are not really a place for youthful exuberance which has gotten Colorado to this point, especially against teams with as much playoff experience as San Jose. San Jose should roll right on through Colorado. San Jose in four.

It gets repeated over and over that goaltending is key in any playoff series. And in this series Nashville has it and Chicago doesn’t. So Nashville should be favored and win this series easily despite being the 7th seed, but it often isn’t that simple. Chicago is much more potent on offense than Nashville. Predators General Manager David "Bud" Poile has never been one to build a solid offensive unit for his hockey teams. This series is not exactly like the New Jersey-Philadelphia matchup, mostly because the Chicago roster is not stocked up with goons, but very close to it. Chicago has the offensive ability to wear out the Nashville defensemen and goaltending. Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi just needs to not lose the series for his team.Chicago in seven.

Ok folks, we're not going to waste any time and just get it out of the way up front,Wiskey Tango Foxtrot is the deal with Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo? He won the Olympic Gold Medal for Canada and answered some questions about himself, but since then he has raised some others. Most notably, why did he excel on the international stage but continues to struggle on the NHL stage? The L.A. Kings haven’t been in the playoffs in awhile but does have some players with plenty of playoff experience on their roster. However there are too many key players for the Kings who do not have any playoff experience and experience is as key to a long playoff run as goaltending. Vancouver however is very banged up on their blueline right now and that puts the spotlight back onto Luongo. Can he hold everything down or play at least as well as he did during the Olympics? We’re not very comfortable with this but we’re going with the more experienced team here.Vancouver in seven.

In another "no-duh" moment; the Phoenix Coyotes are the story of the year in the NHL, so we won't bother to rehash it here. Because of their status, many pundits think it is too bad that they get Detroit in the first round. However, this season, we clearly saw that Detroit has gotten old, and not in a good way, despite letting Chris Chelios go. A lot of hockey has been played by Detroit players over the past three years and this season with the Olympics. Some of the Red Wings have been injured for most of the season and, believe it or not, that does take its toll on a player come playoff time They aren't rested as much as they are rusted. Phoenix though hasn’t won a playoff series since moving to the desert in 1996. Both teams have good goaltenders though Jimmy Howard for Detroit is completely untested in the playoffs and Ilya Bryzgalov hasn't played in a playoff game since 2007. Phoenix also led the league in gimmick wins and thankfully, there are no gimmicks in the playoffs. Like everybody else, we think the great story for Phoenix will come to an end, but not without a fight. Detroit in seven.